I am a die-hard Downton Abbey fan. I followed the Crawley’s and their staff through all their seasons of heartbreak, joy, problems, solutions, and passive-aggressive dinner parties. That’s why I was so excited to hear that the beloved characters were transferred to the big screen. My word of advice before going to watch the movie is to review the end of the show. It took me a few minutes to remember who was married to who, who worked for who, and who was new to the cast. 

The movie begins a few years after the show concluded, so the children are older and relationships have developed. The only thing that hasn’t changed is Downton. The movie still takes place in the beautiful estate, and the fashion is still unbelievably intricate and beautiful. The highlight of the movie was Maggie Smith, who reprised her role as the Dowager Countess for the last time. The plot of the movie centers around the impending visit of the Queen and King, and the many preparations that ensue. From the outside, this may seem like a standard Downton event, running smoothly under Carson’s eye, but romance and weather and even an attempted assassination keep you interested. 

Unless you are a Downton Abbey fan, you will not enjoy this movie. It is very specific, leans heavily on the plotlines discussed in the show, and tries a little too hard to be funny when the true nature of Downton is the dryness and decorum. In addition, a large part of the show centered around Anna and Bates’ blooming romance and then the subsequent horrifying events that had to endure. In the movie, though, the couple, and their son got a small amount of screen time. I was excited to see these two happy and safe at long last and was underwhelmed with the amount of attention they got. 

But I left the theater feeling satisfied with the ending the characters, enjoyed seeing the back to their old ways, and still love Maggie Smith with all my heart.